1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a seat structure member provided with a blowing apparatus, a cushion capable of elastically supporting an occupant, and a flow path portion (i.e., a portion through which air from the blowing apparatus is able to pass) of the cushion, as well as to a vehicle seat.
2. Description of Related Art
Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2008-142244 (JP 2008-142244 A) describes one such known vehicle seat that has a seat cushion and a seat back. The seat cushion and the seat back (both seat structure members) each have a cushion and a cover. The cover is a bag-like member capable of covering the cushion, and is made of breathable cloth material (such as fabric). The cushion is an elastic member (made of resin foam) that forms the outer shape of the seat, and is formed by a molding apparatus (a first die, a second die, and a cavity). Here, the first die and the second die are mold members that are able to be closed together. Also, the cavity is a void that follows the shape of the cushion, and is formed between the first die and the second die. With this related art, the cover is arranged between the first die and the second die (i.e., in the cavity), and then resin foam material is expanded inside the cavity. As a result, the cushion is integrated with the cover while it is being formed. At this time, the cover is vacuum suctioned so that it is pressed against the inside surface of the first die (i.e., the cover is tightly compressed), which enables impregnation of the resin foam material to be inhibited as much as possible.
With the vehicle seat described above, a blowing apparatus is mounted to the seat structure member, such that air is able to be blown toward the occupant. At this time, a flow path portion (i.e., a portion that passes through the cushion in the thickness direction) is provided in the cushion, which enables air from the blowing apparatus to pass through. Arranging the blowing apparatus on the back surface side of the cushion while communicating it (i.e., the blowing apparatus) with the flow path portion enables air blown out from the blowing apparatus to be blown to the cover side (i.e., toward the occupant) through the flow path portion of the cushion.
Here, the flow path portion is formed at the same time that the cushion is formed, using the molding apparatus described above (see FIG. 8). For example, a protruding portion 64a (i.e., a portion that follows the outer shape of the flow path portion) is formed. Next, the protruding portion 64a is pressed against a cover Sa while being made to protrude toward the inside surface of the first die, by closing the first die and the second die together. In this state, the resin foam material is expanded, such that a cushion Pa is able to be formed while a flow path portion 20a (a void) is formed by the protruding portion 64a. 
With the structure described above, there are cases in which the protruding portion 64a presses excessively on the cover Sa, such that a portion of the cover Sa deforms inward (i.e., becomes recessed) toward the first die (see the portion outlined by the circle in FIG. 8A). The resin foam material then enters the space (that has a generally triangular shape) between the recessed location of the cover Sa and the protruding portion 64a. As a result, a portion of the cushion Pa may be formed protruding toward the cover Sa side (i.e., a thorn-shaped protruding portion Px may be formed). Therefore, with this structure, the protruding portion Px (a portion that feels like a foreign body) is formed on the cushion Pa, and this protruding portion Px may cause the cover Sa to rise up (i.e., results in a structure with somewhat diminished seat performance). The invention integrates the cover and the cushion having a flow path portion with good performance.